To wrestle with ideas; to see another’s point of view; to discover something about how the world works; to live with others of different backgrounds, beliefs or interests. These are the challenges and opportunities of a fine education. n While buildings, libraries and modern laboratories are important, the human quality of education is the measure of a school. Gifted teachers who can convey both the excitement and order in learning, and able, enthusiastic students—Deerfield seeks the best of both and knows that what each will demand from the other is excellence. n At Deerfield education also concerns itself with character—a sense of responsibility to oneself and to others which comes from being a citizen of this unique community. School service is important, for citizenship at Deerfield is rooted in the awareness that one’s actions and choices create and define the standards by which a community can flourish. n Regardless of a student’s background, schoolmates respect a competent musician, a quick mind, a hard-working swimmer, or a fluent linguist. Every student at Deerfield can have an experience shaped for and by his or her abilities and interests. What each experience shares is a commitment to the values—tolerance, honesty, decency—on which responsible citizenship is founded. n A sense of place—Deerfield embodies the value of things that endure. Set in a 300-year-old village—itself a treasure of our colonial past—the Academy offers those who study here a history which can be encountered in the visible past of the 18th-century houses, the tree-lined street, the headstones of English settlers. While life at Deerfield fosters change and growth, each graduate will leave the school with memories of the space and beauty of the New England countryside and of an intellectual and moral tradition— sturdy and honest—which stands the test of time. n Deerfield prepares its students for both college and the world beyond, yet its graduates return often, remembering the Academy for the important role it played in their lives. Friendships, teachers who made a difference, perspectives broadened and refined, pride in the Academy and loyalty to its tradition: these are the hallmarks of a Deerfield education. Students come hoping to make a mark on the Academy and leave, discovering that Deerfield has made a mark on them.
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